Big investment to get Jersey fit for the future

Wednesday 22 January 2014

An extra £6 million could be invested in sport over the next two years as part of a new strategy for the Island.

Jersey will host the NatWest Island Games in the summer of 2015, which will put the Island’s sporting community in an international spotlight. The Education department plans to spend £4.5 million improving facilities ahead of the Games.

Assistant Education Minister Roy Le Hérissier said: “The Island Games gives us a springboard. It can be a source of national pride as the Island works together to make it a success. It can also be an inspiration, leaving a ‘sporting legacy’, just like the London Olympics.”

The Education Department wants that legacy to continue long after the Games and hope its five-year plan will succeed in getting the Island fitter and healthier and inspire young people to make sport a habit for life.

The Department wants to invest £2.4 million over the next five years in maintenance and upgrades of States facilities, including Fort Regent, Les Quennevais, Springfield and FB Fields. At the same time, it wants to keep prices affordable for islanders who use them.

For those who can’t access these facilities, Education wants to "take sport to the people" and provide more opportunities for physical activities in parishes.

Next year sport in the Island could have a new "champion" – a high-profile body to represent and promote it. The new organizing body, which Education hope to launch by January 2015, will operate independently but with financial support from the States.

The new body will encourage more islanders to get active and provide more support for clubs and associations.

Jersey has more than 260 sports clubs or organisations offering more than 65 activities.